The Alsept Family

Another great summer comes to an end.

2010-09-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

Aleia's 6th year "gotcha day" picture.

Getting ready to cheer on our Quakers at the first football game.

Playing with one of our ipods. Ha

Playing with the neighbor kids in the sprinker. What fun!

At the lake with lots of friends.

Alexa and her cousin Carlie from South Carolina.

I cannot believe another summer has come and gone. Where does time go? I guess the saying is true, "time sure flies when you are having fun." We had such a great summer. We spent lots of time at the pool, playing with our friends, going places with the family, and tons of times at the park. It was such a awesome time. The girls love playing together and sharing playdates with each others friends. It is so nice to see the love they have for one another. Aleia started in the first grade this year and Alexa is in her second year of preschool. They both really enjoy school, but are looking forward to next year when they will both be in the same building. We also recently shared in Aleia's 6th "gotcha day" dinner. She is such a special girl who is quite the pleaser. If you are happy, so is Aleia. The girls had some new pictures taken by a professional photographer, so I posted a couple of those too. They were all so good that we had trouble deciding which ones to get. Love to all.

Family vacation at the beach. What fun!!

2010-07-14T17:57:00.001-07:00

Daddy and Alexa sharing a moment.

Getting ready to putt putt.

On the crows nest at our house. We spend lots of time up there.

Sisterly love.

The annual family pictures on the dunes.

We had another great family vacation at Pawley's Island last month. We stayed at the same house which we figured was our seventh trip there. It is called Dino's Retreat. The girls refer to it as our beach house. Ha. We spent lots of time riding waves this year. We took all of the sand toys that we own, but the girls didn't play with them much at all. They were all about the waves and going for dips. (Daddy does this with the girls, cause Mom isn't the biggest ocean fan). We spent a day at Charleston shopping and visiting with one of my friends from high school. Bob made his annual crab cake and steak dinner too. So yummy!! Can't wait til 2011 to make that trip again.

Miss Alexa turns 4.

2010-05-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

Alexa making the big climb up the rope ladder.

Alexa loving the indoor waterpark.

They had a ball playing all day and part of the next.

Well, I cannot believe that our little one is four already. She is growing up way too fast for me. Can't they just stay this size for a little bit longer!//?. We celebrated her birthday by going to Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky with Mimi and Papaw. Let me tell you that the adults were pretty water lodged by the end of the trip. Alexa was beside herself on the trip. This was all she talked about for months before we went and for the weeks that followed. She had the time of her life. If she went down the slide three times, she went down thirty!! We also had a family birthday party the night of her birthday here at the house. It was a good time had by all. Very low key with lots of presents of course!

Alexa's 3rd "Gotcha Day" and Spring Break.

2010-04-20T19:03:00.001-07:00

Outside the Aquarium in Charleston, SC

Happy Easter 2010

One of our bathing beauties.

Dinner at Oak Steakhouse. Bob's favorite restaurant in the south.

Alexa's 3rd year "gotcha day" celebration.

Alexa and Kaitlin were all smiles this night.

Two of our three traveling families had dinner at the club to celebrate the girls' special day. We sure missed the Bichsel's that night.

Well, a lot has been going on since I posted the last time. Auntie Elaine is going to be so proud of me!! Our family along with the McConnell's and Bichsel's shared a special day on March 25th. Three years previously, we received our china dolls. Where does time really go? I just cannot believe that we have had these special girls that long already. They have all come so far in their own little ways. Annie loves the bugs and outdoors. Alexa and Kaitlin love dresses and not getting dirty>. Ha!! Growing up with girls and boys in the same house are so different. Let me tell you that all three of them are quite unique! And soooo special.

We also spent some time away for spring break this year. We went down to Kiawah Island SC. We left on a Wed. afternoon and came back on Monday, but boy was it a much needed trip. We were gone for Easter, but we had our own little celebration down there. We went into downtown Charleston on Easter Sunday. We took the girls to the aquarium and had a nice lunch together. We spent lots of time just hanging out on the beach on our trip too. It was so nice to have some family time together. I am sure you will enjoy the pics. The smiles on the girls' faces are priceless. I will be posting again soon, cause little Lex is going to be turning four. WOW

Snow, snow, and more snow !

2010-02-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

Aleia and her Auntie Elaine. This is the American Girl outfit Aleia told Auntie Elaine that she would really like to have for her birthday. Ha, Ha.

The view outside of our patio doors.

Trying to ride the frozen, snow covered glider.

Alexa can't hardly stand up. She was determined to get into her playhouse.

Sisterly love!!

Look how many inches of snow we really got.

Everyone kept saying I needed a picture of Aleia without her two front teeth. She is very proud of this one.

Well, do you think it will keep snowing. Sure looks like it. We were blasted with a huge snow storm this past weekend. We probably got about 16 inches of snow. It is still snowing off and on and the snow arrived five days ago. The kids here in town have only been to school one day this week so far. The roads are just nasty. We haven't seen snow like this in OHio for quite sometime. Stay warm!!

Ok, it's been a while.

2010-01-30T07:03:00.001-08:00

OSU Rose Bowl family pics in Hilton Head.

Best of friends. It amazes me how that the older they get, the more attached

and the closer they become.

The playground at HH. They weren't having too much fun. Ha, ha. It was

snowing and very cold back home in OHio.

Christmas morning. Bright and early.

The Ferris's delivering cupcakes to the girls.

Our cousins Catie and Carlie from South Carolina. Catie is the little girl that

got those whole "China" thing started.

Aleia's "6th" birthday present.

Ok, I know that I have been very bad at this blogging thing recently, but I am hoping to get better here in 2010. We had a great rest of 09. Aleia celebrated her sixth birthday in November. We had a friend/family birthday party and fun was had by all. Aleia got a new bike that she had been waiting on since late summer when she learned to ride her bike without training wheels. She was so shocked when Bob brought the bike up from the basement. She was speechless. We had another amazing Christmas. This was the first Christmas that both girls were really into the whole "santa thing". It was one of our best Christmas' so far. Aleia and Alexa both asked for one thing and of course Santa came through. Aleia wanted a Ninetendo DS and Alexa wanted a dollhouse. We left Christmas day again this year for Hilton Head Island with three other families. We had nice weather and enjoyed just relaxing and hanging out with our friends and Nemaw and Papaw went too. Well, here's to the new year. Let's hope it's another good one. Love, Lisa

Where does time go?

2009-12-13T18:32:00.000-08:00

Our family's forty-two pound pumpkin.

The girls on their annual pumpkin patch trip.

The girls went to Chucky Cheese with Nemaw and papaw.

Getting ready to head to a football game to cheer on the Quakers!!

Alexa playing soccer and not really liking it.

First Day of Kindergarten and PreSchool. Yeh!!!

2009-08-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

Well, both of my babies are officially in school. Where does time go? It just seems like yesterday that we were coming home from China with them both. Aleia started all day everyday kindergarten on Tuesday and Alexa started preschool on Wednesday. They both had great first days, unlike their mother. I did ok, but boy was it hard. People always said how fast they would grow up and I didn't really believe them until now. I guess the saying about time flies when you are having fun is so true. Well, I will keep everyone posted with some new updates as they get into this new groove.

Wow. I haven't posted forever!!!

2009-07-14T18:52:00.001-07:00

The girls are the best of buds!

We always take family portraits our last day at the beach.

We have a photo of Aleia just like this when she was three and a half. Too cute.

Aleia loved riding the bogey board with the waves this trip.

We have a fancy dinner at the Oak Steakhouse in Charleston.

Sorry posted the same pic twice. ha,ha.

Doing crafts at the Children's Museum in downtown Charleston.

Daddy giving his girls their flowers after their dance recital.

Lili, Alexa, Aleia, and Ryann

Ok, yes I have been a bad blogger. It's only been about four months since my last post. ha,ha. Let's just say the girls are keeping us busy and we are enjoying every minute of it. We went to Kiawah Island with the Bichsel's at the end of March for Spring Break. We had a great time. We rode bikes and played on the beach alot. In May, Bob and I celebrated our "15 th" anniversary. We went to Cincinnati for the weekend. We took in the Reds game, the taste of Cincy, and did some sight seeing. Where has the last fifteen years gone? At the beginning of June, the girls had their dance recital. They both did the dance thing this year. Dance class began in Sept of 08 and finished up in June of 09. Needless to say, Mom was very burn out with Tuesday night classes. The girls both did a great time at the recital doing their stuff. Alexa did ballet and Aleia did ballet and tap. It was a special night for the whole family. Finally, our family along with my parents went to Charleston, SC for a couple of days followed up by our week in Pawley's Island. Can I just say we had a fabulous time!!! The weather was fantastic and we had a ball being with the girls 24/7. It was very hard to come back to the real world. The girls loved the ocean and going for "dips" with their daddy. Mommy isn't a real big ocean fan. We spent tons of time building sand castles and watching Alexa destroy them. Well, I will try to post again before four more months go by. Heck, before we know it, the girls will be starting school.

Chinese New Year!!!

2009-03-07T11:38:00.001-08:00

Alexa, Lili, and Aleia. Lili is one of Aleia's best friends from school. They also call each other their sissies.

Trying to get a group picture of all of our china friends isn't always the easiest thing to do as you can see.

Well, another Chinese New Year party has come and gone. We had a party a couple of weeks ago with our "china sisters" at a local restaurant. We had a great dinner, some crafts, a video, and a chinese dance. The girls always enjoy getting dressed up in their silk dresses.

Observation night at dance class.

2009-02-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

Aleia, Lili, and one of their instructors, Miss Hannah dancing away.

Aleia's class is much bigger than Alexa's.

Alexa wasn't happy that Nemaw and Mommy were downstairs watching TV and she didn't want to stay in her bed by herself. Well, when we came upstairs to go to bed Alexa was sound asleep in the hallway with her blanket.

Alexa has her instrument and she is getting ready to march.

Doing the bean bag dance.

Aleia wanted me to do a little video of her before class actually got started. They don't do any of these moves in the class. Ha, Ha.

A great ending to another wonderful year.

2009-01-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

Aleia, Maryn, Alexa, and Lauryn hanging out while putt-putting.

Alexa doing a pose on the walk to the beach.

Lauryn, Kaitlin, Aleia, and Maryn just hoping they could get into the pool. Please mommy please!!

The girls sporting their new Salty Dog shirts.

Alexa, aka Tinkerbell.

Aleia got some new play make-up for Christmas and she was making Alexa looked beautiful she said.

Santa did make it to our house once again.

The Alsept's had another wonderul holiday season. The girls must have been good girls because HO HO made it to Ohio once again. Aleia received a new make-up vanity with some make-up and Alexa got the American Girl Doll that she wanted. We have had so much fun playing with all of the new things. As you can imagine, the things are too numerous to mention. The day after Christmas we left for Hilton Head, SC for a week at the beach. We had great weather and a fun time. Their were four families on the trip with five children along. Needless to say, it was an adventure. The girls played in the ocean some (which was freezing cold), they wanted to swim in the pool that we rented (also very cold), we rode bikes, built sandcastles, and played with lots of girly toys that santa had brought for everyone. We all wished the trip didn't have to end. Oh well, we are all looking forward to our next trip to the beach and a great 2009!! Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Trick or treat and Aleia's 5th Birthday.

2008-11-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

Aleia and her birthday buddies opening some gifts.

The birthday party is in full swing. Cheese!!

Maryn, Lauryn, Lili and Aleia

Aleia, AKA Gabriella, from High School Musical.

Have you ever seen a dark haired Cinderella? You have now. That is the only thing that Alexa would be for Trick or Treat.

Right before we took off on our Trick or Treating Adventure.

Ella and Aleia at the Dover - Phila Pep Rally.

It was hat day at school and Little Miss Alexa had to wear a hat to the babysitter's because her sissy wasn't going to get anything over on her. Ha, Ha.

We had so much fun trick or treating this year. The girls talked for two months about what they wanted to be for Halloween and we sure weren't going to change their minds. We went to about seven houses and took home more candy than most kids only dream of. Most of the places that we went gave the girls their own bag full of different treats. I ended up carrying the girls' pumpkins between stops because they were too heavy for them to carry. We also celebrated Aleia's 5th birthday this past weekend. It was a High School Musical day all the way. The day began with Auntie Elaine bringing breakfast for the whole family. She spoils us rotten. Aleia then had her first "friends" birthday party. She invited six of her best buddies over and we played games, laughed, sang, and danced. The girls had so much fun. After this party, we had another party with all of our family members. Needless to say, by the end of the night the Alsept's were partied out. We are so blessed to have these special girls and have such great friends and families members to be a part of their lives. Love, Lisa

Fall fun is here!!

2008-10-19T08:22:00.001-07:00

Safety day at the fire station. We went to the fire station for a big day of exhibits recently. We got to tour the station, see the firemen, get in all of their trucks and the ambulance. The girls had so much fun.
Alexa doing "Bella Bella dancerella". It is a video where they dance and sing. It is so funny watching her animation.
Alexa got a firemen's hat at safety day and she loves to wear it because her Papaw used to be a fireman.

Lauryn and Maryn Contini, along with Aleia, getting ready for the hayride.

This past weekend we went to the girls' Nemaw and Papaw's for our annual pumpkin patch trip followed by lunch and a play day. We had around twenty kids, with their parents who participated in the fun filled day. It was a bright sunny day and lots of fun was had by all. We all piled onto three hay wagons which took us out into the field where all of the pumkins were. All of the kids got to pick out a pumpkin which were all shapes and sizes. After getting our pumpkins, we went to Aleia's and Alexa's grandparents house for a great lunch. We ate and then played on some inflatibles that were provided by some of our friends. We watched the kids play until naptime and then everyone headed home. This was the fourth year for the pumpkin patch party. It gets bigger and bigger every year. Thanks again to Nemaw and Papaw for another successful party!!

Summer is coming to a close, but not the good times.

2008-09-09T18:43:00.001-07:00

The girls getting ready to cheer on the Quakers for the first football game of the season.
Alexa, Kaitlin, and Aleia all doing their own type of cheer. Ha, ha.
Aleia's first day of preschool. She is just growing up way too fast. Her teacher says that she is a big helper in class with all of the new kids this year. She always want to look "pretty" before she heads off to school.
Alexa hamming it up in Michigan. My best friend from high school lives in Michigan with her family and the girls and I went to visit them this past weekend. They have a five year old and a two year old, so the girls had so much fun playing.
Lili, Aleia, and Alexa tonight after their first day of dance class. Alexa thinks she is such a big girl now because she goes to dance just like sissy. If you ask her also, she says " I go to dance class with my neemaw and sissy watch me this time".

Our first and only trip to Uhrichsville Water Park this summer. We just never made it there and when we finally did we had a great time. It is such a nice place for the kids.
Daddy took us girls to the Lighthouse for dinner which is at Atwood Lake the night before school started this summer. He referred to it as our " last supper " before all of the hectic evenings begin with school activities. We ate out on the patio. It was a gorgeous evening with lots of boats coming in and out. We really enjoyed the night.
Miss Independent putting on her own floaties at the water park.

Playing and enjoying our summer.

2008-08-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

We had a project at the church where we didn't have church one Sunday and we went out and did community projects. Our small group baked and delivered cookies to the fire station, police station, and the med flight people. The kids had a great time.
The little youngsters got to sit in the med flight and check it out. Aleia even sat in the cock pit up front. She had big eyes.
The kids got to try on some of the firemens equipment. They said the fire hats were really heavy.
Enjoying the water slide last weekend with some friends at Atwood Lake.

A Recent weekend get-away.

2008-08-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

Alexa and daddy checking out the elephants at the zoo.
The girls sporting their new helmets while riding their bikes.

We had to stop at everyone of these things at the zoo for a photo shoot.

Playing in the jumping water at Easton.

Aleia hanging out with Brutus while we did some shopping at the Buckeye Corner.

The girls and Belle. We recently attended the Beauty and the Beast play with Auntie Elaine. The girls did awesome sitting through the 2 and 1/2 hour play. Everytime Belle would leave the stage Alexa would say, "hey where is Belle going?" It was priceless.
The floating balls at Cosi. Alexa was totally amazed.

Aleia pretending to be the doctor who is taking care of her sister.
Any patients?

Our family recently took a long weekend and went to Columbus, OH. We visited Cosi on Friday and the zoo on Saturday. We had such a great time. We had some fabulous meals and really enjoyed spending so much time together. The girls got to play in the "jumping water" at Easton Towne Center too. The water comes out of all of these holes in the ground and sends water shooting all over the place. I think the girls could have stayed there for hours. We are enjoying all of our special times together, because before we know it school will be back in full swing. Love, Lisa

The Alsept gals enjoying their summer.

2008-07-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

Alexa is patiently awaiting the 4th of July parade.
Aleia is all smiles as usual.
The girls call themselves the "Ariel team" when they are wearing these pj's.
Having a fun ride on the train at Tuscora Park. They love to ride this together.
Aleia the big sister helping little sis down the roller slide. Do they look happy or what?

Some more vacation pics!!!

2008-07-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Family at the beach!!

2008-06-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

Our family had another great vacation at Pawley's Island, SC again. We spent two days in Charleston and the next week at the beach. The girls had a wonderful time at the beach hanging out and loved playing with nemaw and papaw. We have a crows nest on top of our beach house and the girls love to hang out up there and watch for dolphins. We built lots of sandcastles and the girls went for lots of dips in the ocean with daddy. Mommy isn't a big ocean fan. Hope you enjoy the pics. They don't begin to express the great trip we had!!

Alexa's 2nd birthday party!!

2008-05-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

Aleia and Lili (aka Aleia's other sissy) getting ready to dance at New Dawn Nursing Center for a test run before the real recital.
Lisa went to NY City this past weekend for a little mother daughter get away. Mom and I had some one on one adult conversation with her cousin and her daughter. We had a ball.
My mom's cousins daughter Kelly. They are from Delaware and Kelly is a law student at William and Mary. She has one more year to go.

Alexa's present from Aunt Freida and Robyn and Logan.
Present from mommy and daddy. Aleia enjoying her lunch with our nephew Kaden and cousin Logan.
Notice how excited Alexa was that she blew out her candle.
Nemaw and Alexa sharing a birthday kiss. Nemaw's birthday was the 27th and Alexa's is the 28th of April.
How many kids can we fit in the play house?
Alexa's birthday party was a lot of fun. We had mostly our family in for the day with some of our friends too. It was a nice day, so most of us spent the afternoon outside watching the youngsters. Everytime someone came to the party carrying something, Alexa would say" present for me?" It was too cute. This little girl has come so far. Love, Lisa

Gotcha Day Anniversary and Easter!!

2008-03-31T19:27:00.001-07:00

Where has this last year gone?! On March 25th, our family celebrated our first one year "gotcha day" anniversary with Miss Alexa Lin. We just cannot get over how fast time has gone and what our family has experienced with these two little girls over this past year. Alexa has come so far in such a short time. It all began with this little angel who couldn't even sit up on her own, to this precious girl who is trying to go "big girl potty" like her sister, whose speaking in complete sentences and cracking us up everyday. We spent "gotcha day" and our Easter holiday in Hilton Head for ten days. We had gorgeous weather and tons of great family time. We drove to Savannah, GA one day, played outside a lot, had some delicious dinners, played at the beach, and looked for Easter eggs after the Easter bunny came to visit. Aleia was really concerned that the bunny wouldn't find us on vacation, but guess what? He did. The girls looked for eggs and of course wanted to eat all of the treats on the first day. Surprise, surprise. Well, just wanted to update everyone on our recent adventures. Being a parent is the most rewarding experience ever!!!!!!!

Fun with the Alsept's

2008-03-08T05:09:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone. We haven't posted for awhile, but life at the Alept's is good. We have been playing around inside and out. The girls have decided they like to help mommy cook which is quite the site. They always want to be my helpers. We have been playing outside some since we have not had this much snow in a long time. We are supposed to get almost ten inches with this last storm. It is still snowing as I type this. The girls love to be pulled around outside in the sled. We had our twelve month follow-up with our social worker yesterday which completes the papertrail with Alexa's adoption. Yeh!!! We are finally done with the paperchase. We just cannot believe she has been with us for almost a year already. Boy does time fly when you are having fun!!! That statement is sooooo true. We just cannot imagine our lives being any different. The more hectic and crazy the better. Love, Lisa

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

2008-02-03T18:44:00.000-08:00

Alexa hamming it up with Lei, the owner of the Empire Chinese Buffet.

The girls didn't want much to do with having pictures taken after getting their treat bags. It was all candy at that point.

Just wanted to take some time to wish all of our followers a "Happy Chinese New Year". We attended our annual party at the local Chinese buffet here in town this evening. The girls had a great time. Aleia loves to dress up in her chinese outfits. This was Alexa's first party of sorts and she had a ball watching everyone and running around too.

The other photos are just some recents ones I have taken while clowning around here at the house. The girls love to play outside in the snow. I think they would stay outside all day if you would let them. We have been doing a little sled riding down our neighbors hill each time we get some snow. The girls just laugh and laugh. They also love for me to pull them around in the sled all over the yard. Before that day was all over, the three of us were playing on the slide, the glider, and the swings in the backyard. If you were a neighbor watching us, you probably got a hoot out of it. Have a great day. Lisa

2007 comes to a close.

2008-01-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

The girls posing with their stockings.
A present from Daddy. Our girl loves bulldozers.

This Christmas thing is very tiring.
Alexa getting her first haircut.

Freckles the Clown. Notice that Alexa wasn't real sure about him.

The girls playing with their babydolls stroller.

Well, where do we begin. 2007 has been such a wonderful year. Another trip half way across the world to bring home another "china doll". Two sisters forming a bond that we hope they will always share. And finally a family who feels sooooo complete. Bob and I sit back and watch these girls everyday and thank God for blessing us with them. We laugh at them, laugh with them, and just are amazed how protective they are of each other in such a short time. We are looking forward to all of the fun things to share and all of the great times we will share in 2008 with our family. Love to all. Lisa

Happy Holidays from The Alsept's!!!

2007-12-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

Our first Christmas photo of the girls together.
Can you smile and say cheese?
The girls having a heart to heart. Notice how intently Alexa is listening.

Hanging out with the Contini gals while cheering the "Buckeyes" on to victory over boo Michigan.
Aleia and Lili being silly at the preschool on pajama day. It was an extracurricular day when they talked about nighttime routines at school. The parents were invited too and we had a great time.
Aleia made her very own version of Llama, Llama, red pajama at school that day. Check out the title of Aleia's book. She picked the color purple because her mommy and nemaw love purple.
Alexa and Aleia with their first snowman. This of course was Alexa's first trip outside with the snow and she loved it. She wasn't real sure at first, but just kept saying ooohhh!! After playing for some time, the girls then did a little sled riding down our little hill. They both kept giggling. So cute.

We just want to wish each and everyone of you who read this blog often or occasionally a wonderful holiday. We hope everyone feels as blessed as we do. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Love, The Alsept Family

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY ALEIA.

2007-11-15T19:38:00.000-08:00

Aleia and her Princess cake. She was pretty proud of it.
The girls and some of their friends from Nemaw's grandma group.
Look at me guys!!
One of Aleia's favorite birthday gifts.
Kaitlin and Aleia enjoying some cake.
We celebrated Aleia's fourth birthday this past weekend. I just cannot believe our big girl is "4" already. It just seems like yesterday that we were bringing her home. We celebrated her special day with some friends and lots of family. Aleia received lots of nice things. She doesn't know what to play with next. Thanks to everyone who helped to celebrate with us. It was a great time had by all.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a pumpkin just my size!!
Our very own "Princess"
What a pair.
The girls and their buddy Abby.
GO BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our first trick or treat experience with Alexa was great. We all had a ball. She loved it when people would put things into her pumpkin. And boy, she sure didn't like it if you tried to take something out. Wow!! The girls are having so much fun being sisters. Thanks for continuing to follow us in this amazing journey. I think it gets better everyday.

Family, friends, and lots of fun!!

2007-10-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

Aliyah, Jack, Annie, Lili, and Aleia on the hayride.
Some of the kiddies from the pumpkin patch catching a Kodak moment.
The morning started out somewhat chilly. Brrr!!
Ella wants to be a big girl.

Aleia and her cousin Catie.
Alexa and her cousin Carlie.

Chillin out with some popsicles.
Aleia at school on pumpkin day.

We have had so much going on recently. Our cousins we here recently from South Carolina. They also have two little "china dolls" and the foursome had lots of fun playing. Their oldest daughter Catie is the little girl who Bob and I fell in love with initially in our adoption process. She is such a beautiful little girl. She is the one who got this whole thing started. Thanks again to the Ellisons. They recently went back to China for their second daughter also. Their youngest daughter and our youngest are one month apart. They are also from the same Jiangxi province. We also went to Aleia's preschool for a pumpkin day. We had so much fun reading books as a group, making our own books, and decorating our own pumpkins. All of the children really seemed to have a ball. And finally, our annual trip to the pumpkin patch with our friends. We did this yesterday and there were about thirty-four of us all together. We went on a hayride, picked out pumpkins in the field, took lots of group photos, and had a big lunch and lots of playtime. This is the third year in a row that we have done this at my parents house. It seems to get bigger and better with each passing year. Most of the kids crashed in the cars on the way home. Enjoy. Lisa

Fun with family and friends.

2007-09-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

Bathing beauty swimming in the little pool in the backyard.
Aleia's third annual "gotcha day" dinner.
The new and improved "Bob the Builder".
In Michigan spending the weekend with the Bride's.
Don't forget little Alexa too. CHEESE!!

The ASIAN foursome with their ladybug dresses at the McConnells.
Playing in the Little Tykes playland.
Aleia and Maryn ready for the first football game. Go Quakers.
Riding the big tractor with Erich and Lucy on the Bichsel farm.

Miss Alexa didn't ride. She just hung out with her daddy.

Just some fun pics of recent things at the Alsept household. We recently celebrated Aleia's 3 year "gotcha day" on September 12th. She has been in our family what seems like forever already. We went to a real nice dinner just the four of us. Before we know it, we will be celebrating Alexa's one year gotcha!! Hope you enjoy our photos. Lisa

Just enjoying our summer. Very much!!!

2007-08-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

Aleia being the motherly figure with her little cousin Lilly.
Oh, I am really tired.
Aleia hamming it up with her cousing Kaden.

The girls riding "big sissy's" Dora 4-wheeler.
Our readoption process at the courthouse recently with Judge Kate and our attorney Brad Zimmerman.
Spending more time at the park riding the carousel. The ride that never ends!! ha, Ha
Alexa playing in the mini water fountain at the pool at the Portage Country Club.
Aleia just chillin on the noodles. Life is good.
We have had such a wonderful summer. We are all so sad to see it slowly coming to an end. The girls have had a great time. It is so amazing to watch them interact with one another. Now that Alexa is walking all over the place, they love to chase each other around the house. It is quite the site. I sure hope they continue the bond that they are forming. We have spent so much time swimming this summer. Both of the girls love the water and never want to go home when it is time. We went to court recently for our readoption of Alexa. Our attorney, Brad Zimmerman, represented us and Judge Kate presided over the hearing again. What a special day!! Please continue to follow this journey. It is so full of surprises and pleasant litle girls.

The CCAI Midwest Reunion.

2007-08-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

Audrey, Kaitlin, and Alexa (Travel group #1147 buddies)
The girls sitting at the gate of our pavillion.
Aleia playing in the jumping water at Easton.
Alexa just wasn't too sure about the jumping water.

The girls were hanging out in the bookstore while the guys were having some daddy alone time.
Bob and his girls at the zoo.
Cheese!!
This is Lily and her husband Josh is in the photo below. They are the founders of CCAI. They began the adoption agency in the basement of their house originally.
We had such a great time this past weekend. We went to the CCAI Midwest Reunion held in Columbus, OH. There were folks there from over twelve states and there were approx. 500 families at the reunion. Aleia loved seeing all of the "Asian girls" as she refers to them. I was very elated to finally meet Josh and Lily. They helped play such a special role in us being the family that we are today. We sure couldn't have done it without all of their help. We attended the reunion with the McConnell's and had a fun time staying at Easton Towne Center. We ate at some fun restaurants and the girls spent some time in the jumping water one afternoon. We took the girls to the big bookstore and spent about one hour looking through books and destroying their shelves. Ha, Ha. Needless to say, it was an expensive stop. Aleia wanted one of every book. We did buy some educational things too!! Thanks for keeping up with our everyday journeys. The girls have made Bob and I feel amazing and so fortunate that they are in our lives. Love, Lisa

Visit with our friends from Texas.

2007-07-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Ashlynn, Alexa, and Aleia sporting their new jammies.
The girls calling for the horses Zip and Nanny at the Bichsel's.
The girls, except for Alexa, each took a turn driving around in the golf cart.
Having a ball at Tuscora Park.
The girls just couldn't stay awake any longer. We wore them out before they wore us out. That is something new. This past weekend we had some of our friends from Texas in town to visit. We were in China with them for our first adoption. We have been the best of friends every since. We had such a great time together visiting and watching the girls hang out. Aleia and Ashlynn will always have a special bond having been from the same orphanage in Gao'An China. They are also only thirteen days apart. The Tapley's are patiently awaiting their referral for their second China doll. While they were here, we kept very busy. We went to the Bichsel's to ride the horses, went to the Cleveland Zoo and Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, and spent tons of time at Tuscora Park. It is just amazing to see these little girls interact with one another. As I have said so many times before, we are just soooo blessed. Lisa

Vacation at the beach

2007-07-11T13:18:00.001-07:00

We were recently at Hilton Head for one week and Pawley's Island, SC for one week with our family. Lisa's parents were also along for the trip and we had a great time. The girls were awesome and Miss Alexa blossomed so much. Alexa started pulling herself up in Hilton Head. She began babbling more words. Her favorite on the trip was "bird". It is so cute when she tries to say it, because she makes a funny face when she does it. Her little legs are getting stronger and stronger. Aleia loved to be out in the waves with her daddy. They both love the ocean. They also enjoyed building sandcastles. They would build them and Alexa would destroy them. Sure hope you enjoy our pics. It was one of our best vacations ever. Lisa

Dance Recital/Baby dedication.

2007-06-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

Aleia with one of her buddies, Lili, as they ham it up before the dance recital begins. They don't look like they are having too much fun do they?
CHEESE!!!
Daddy with his girl presenting the traditional flowers after the dance routine. Would you say that is a proud papa?
Alexa Lin getting dedicated at the church last Sunday with Pastor Dwight.
Lunch with Lisa's parents after the dedication.
Aleia had her first dance recital the night before we left for vacation. All I can say is it was quite entertaining. Aleia and ten of her dance mates performed on stage in front of a couple hundred people and everyone was laughing and carrying on. Their routine lasted about two minutes, yes you read this right, two whole minutes, but we all got our monies worth. They danced with their dolls which had the same dance costume to match the theirs. They all came onto the stage with their dolls in hand looking for their designated spot on the floor. The music starting playing pretty quick. Some of the girls danced, some were looking for their parents waving, some just stood there and smiled, and some of the girls froze when they saw all of the people. It was priceless!!!!!
Alexa was dedicated at church last Sunday with some of her Asian friends as Aleia refers to them. We were with the Bichsels', the McConnell's, and the Browning's. After the dedication we all went out to the lunch with all of our families to the Good House in Ragersville. It was a very special day for all.
Life continues to get better and better with each passing day. We are so happy with Alexa's day to day progess and just love being a family of four. Love to all, Lisa

Aleia, the flower girl, in Ashley's wedding.

2007-06-03T05:14:00.000-07:00

Aleia Mei with Ashley, the bride.
Alexa and Aleia before the ceremony started.
Bob, Aleia, and Victoria hanging out at the reception.
Ashley trying to teach Aleia a few moves!!
Cheese!!!
We spent last evening at the wedding and reception for Ashley and Chris Wagner. Ashley is the second of six children of the family who babysits our girls. This was Aleia's first flower girl experience and she did great. She had so much fun. Our morning began going to a salon and getting Aleia's updo. She loves to be pampered already. Watch out Daddy!!! This was followed by an awesome brunch. It was then off to the church for pictures and the ceremony. Aleia walked down the aisle with the ringbearer and threw flower petals the entire way as she smiled. It was then off to the reception for boogy woogy as Aleia calls it. She was a big hit there too. She just doesn't meet a stranger. Thanks for sharing in Aleia's big day.

Our first trip to the pool.

2007-05-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

Alexa loves to play with Mommy's cell phone.
Kaitlin and Alexa being pulled around by Aleia.
Mom are you sure about this?
Aleia loves to pretend she swims with goggles.
One of our bathing beauties!!
I took the girls to the pool for the first time on Memorial Day. Aleia of course loved it and Alexa wasn't quite so sure. She was pretty clingly. It may have been the fact that the water was kind of chilly too! ha, Ha!!! We went to the pool again this afternoon (Wed) and Alexa didn't want to get out of the pool. The moms sat on the bottom of the baby pool while the girls floated around. We had four of the girls Asian buddies in the pool. We had the whole baby pool to ourselves. The girls had so much fun and the moms enjoyed visiting. Life is good. Lisa

Mother's Day.

2007-05-18T10:45:00.001-07:00

Our first Mother's Day with our three girls. Priceless!!!
Aleia loves to pull her little sister around in the wagon.
The best of buds hanging out watching cartoons together.
Alexa wasn't real fond of any more pictures. This is her great -Grandma Patrick and her cousins Logan and Kaden, along with her big "sis".

Our first Mother's Day as a family of four was wonderful. We could not have asked for a nicer day. We had lunch with all of our family, followed by lots of relaxation. Being a mom with these two girls is the best Mother's Day gift ever. What a blessing!!! Love to all, Lisa

Alexa turns one!!

2007-05-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the newest Alsept addition is officially one. Her first birthday was Saturday the 28th. We had her big party on Sunday with lots of family and friends. We had a great time. We had a big cookout and the weather was perfect. Alexa absolutely loved her cake which you should be able to tell with the photos. She really destroyed it. Ha, Ha. She received tons of nice gifts. It was just a great day spent with many people who are so dear in our hearts. Love, The Alsept girls.

The girls are so special.

2007-04-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

The girls are doing so well. Aleia is such a huge help for us. She loves to get things that we might need for Alexa and absolutely loves to get in Alexa's crib when she cries. We are just amazed how she adores her little sister. She tells us about every day that she is so happy we went to China to get her sister. We feel so very lucky and blessed.
We took the girls to the club the other evening for Alexa's first golf cart ride. She babbled the entire time. It was so sweet. Aleia was showing Alexa how to remove the tee box markers. Ha, ha. That is one of Aleia's favorite pasttimes at the club. Well, the girls are waking up, so I better go for now!!

Alexa is doing great.

2007-04-17T03:35:00.000-07:00

Well, what can I say!! Alexa continues to do well with each passing day. Her smiles get bigger and bigger and she almost has a little giggle now. Just amazing!! We went to her first doctor's appointment here at home yesterday and it went great. The doctor said she looked real healthy and that she had taken huge strides since we had received her. She is seventeen pounds and twenty-eight inches long. She is in the fourth percentile for her weight and the twenty-second percentile for her height. She said to just keep feeding her which isn't a problem at all. The girl loves to eat. That has never been a problem.!! Alexa has to go back to the doctor in four weeks for another check-up and to receive her first set of shots here in the US. The doctor said based on her immunization records that we received in China that she was all up to date with everything thus far.

Aleia is still doing great and she absolutely loves being the "big sister". We could not have asked for her to have done any better with this whole situation. She loves to give Baby Alexa kisses and really enjoys helping me feed her. I have taken some darling photos of the two of them that I cannot wait to share.

We had some good friends in this weekend from Michigan and had a great time with them. Aleia got to play with someone that talked with her and she was wild. Everyone that has been coming over wants to see the baby and she says they don't talk to me mom. Well, that wasn't the case this weekend. Our friends have a four year old guy that wore Aleia down in a heartbeat. It was good for her.

We also wanted to take a minute to also thank everyone that has come to see us since we have returned home. We have had soooo many people come over and bring stuff. It is very nice to know that so many people care for you. Please continue to come see us and call. We love it. There are so many people who have followed this journey and it is nice to share it with you all. Thanks for everything. Until next time, Lisa

Home at last and doing well.

2007-04-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. We finally made it home safe and sound on Thursday evening. We have been getting adjusted to our house again and not living out of a suitcase. Boy is it nice!! Alexa has been a trooper throughout the whole ordeal. We just feel so lucky and blessed. Aleia is such a big helper for us and she really enjoys being a "big sister". She keeps telling us that she wants Alexa to call her sissy. Needless to say, she isn't yet and Aleia keeps asking why. We wanted to thank everyone again for following us through this twenty-three months of childbirth. We will try to post again soon. Love to all, Lisa

Leaving on a jet plane!!! WHEW.

2007-04-04T06:02:00.000-07:00

Well, this will be our final post here in China. The next time we post we will be home with our family of four. We leave our hotel at 5:50am Thursday morning. (dinner time on Wed. at home) We get to Cleveland on Thursday (same day) evening at 7:28 pm. This has been an amazing journey. We feel so blessed and happy especially that we were able to share this experience with some of our best friends. We sure cannot wait to get home to see Aleia, to show off Alexa, see our dog, see all of our family and friends, and finally to sleep in our own bed. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We have an extremely long flight ahead of us. The photos tonight are from where we started to where we are today. Thanks for following our journey. We love you all tons and are looking forward to visiting with everyone at home. Love, Bob, Lisa, Aleia, and Alexa.

Some pics.

2007-04-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos. We will post about our day later on this evening.

RED COUCH PHOTO DAY.

2007-04-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

Today we took the infamous "red couch photos". It was quite the experience given there were nine babies that we were all trying to get to smile. Ha, ha. Alexa seem to a real crier today during this event. You will be able to tell during our group photos. She was not a happy camper. Oh well. We did get some good family photos together before the chaos started and after it was finished.

All of our papers were delivered today to the US consulate for review and everything came back excellent. Our last step here in China is to take the "oath". This is us just saying that we will love the girls and never will hurt them. Just another formality per China. It is tomorrow afternoon. Whew!! We are sssssoooooo close now.

Alexa discovered this evening after dinner that she really likes ice cream. Mommy had oreo cookie and Daddy had chocolate. The chocolate was very messy. You will see by the photos, I promise.

Alexa also had another big moment today. I was changing her diaper this morning on Daddy's bed. (we have two twin beds here at this hotel) I had just got it off and got her all cleaned up. I turned around to get another diaper and I looked down. She was peeing all over the place. Daddy didn't think it was real funny this morning, but we can laugh about it now. Ha, ha, ha.

Well, we are very tired again tonight. Alexa got up pretty early this morning and it was another busy day here today. Tomorrow is our last full day here in China. I think everyone is so excited to get home with our little blessings and begin our new lives together as families. It will be so nice not living out of a suitcase. Until tomorrow. Love ya, Lisa, Bob, and Alexa.

Shopping, touring, and Dr. Apt's.

2007-04-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Another day down. Only two more full days here until we get to go home. I can't wait to get my hands on Aleia. She was soooo talkative this morning on the phone which was very nice. She kept saying "I love you mom and miss you". It was heartwrenching. She is doing well, but it is about time for this trip to be over. I have done really well up into this point.

We did some more touring today to some places we had not been to on our first trip to Guangzhou. We went to a Buddhist Temple known as the Six Banyan's Temple. It was very pretty, but the smell of incense really starts to get to you after awhile. All of the locals grab these incense sticks and do a blessing type thing with them and then they put them in a incense holder. Very bizarre as far as we believe. From there, we went to a Provincial Folk Art Museum. It is a very preserved Quin Dynasty building that was built over 100 years ago. It was raining very hard when we were there, so my pics didn't turn out real well. Our final stop was a shopping stop at the biggest traditional arts and crafts store run by the Guangdong Provincial government. It contained lots of porcelain, silk, traditional chinese clothes, some pearls, and lots of jade. Bob made a big purchase there. He bought his three girls a teardrop piece of jade to take back home and have it made into necklaces for his girls. They are beautiful. I cannot wait to see the pieces complete. A very special purchase. All three pieces are the same shape and the same color.

Our final activity today was another doctor's appointment. We went to the clinic here on Shamian Island as a group. At the clinic, they checked the girls weight, height, and temperature. This was followed by a general body check up. Finally they performed a ear, nose and throat check. Alexa did real well. She just kept looking at us each time we went to the next step like hey is this alright? They said she weighs 17 pounds. Who knows!?!

Alexa was full of smiles today. She was such a happy girl. She was chewing on a banana at breakfast by herself. She is finally realizing that she can use her hands. So fun to watch. Tonight at dinner, she kept wanting to stand up beside my chair. When we got back to our room, she just wanted to sit by herself on the bed and play. Talk about huge strides. What a blessing. Well, both Daddy and Alexa are sound asleep in their beds. It is 9:18 pm.

Until tomorrow. The Alsept's

Legs are getting stronger!!!

2007-04-01T05:47:00.000-07:00

This has been another day of progression for Miss Alexa. She will try to stand next to something as long as one of us are close by. You will see how happy she was with herself in the photo. Her legs are slowly getting stronger. She also was trying to get her bottle into her mouth today. She hasn't quite figured it out yet, but she is getting closer. We have officially had our girl one week this evening and my oh my has she changed. It is just amazing what some love will do. This whole adoption this time has been harder because of the lllloooonnnggg wait, but let me tell you it has been so worth the wait! She has been such a blessing. We just feel fortunate to be blessed with our two girls. Good night. The Alsept's

Day 2 in Guangzhou

2007-04-01T02:21:00.000-07:00

Hello. We didn't really have much busy work today, so we ventured out and did some shopping. We bought some gifts for home and some things for ourselves. It is so much quieter here than in any city we have been to thus far. It is so much more relaxed. Bob always describes this city as a mini Charleston, SC. Some really old well-kept buildings and many people just hanging out and enjoying life.

Before I forget, any of you that are following our blog can now make comments. For some reason everyone wasn't able to before, but we changed some settings so you will be all set. It will come up anonymous when we see it, so please put your name in the comment somewhere. We have enjoyed seeing and hearing from you all who are following this amazing journey. Sure wish you were here to share it was us. It has been so special sharing this journey with our very close friends from home. Those of you who have been here (Browning's, Engstrom's, Ross's, George's, Ellison's), you all understand this a little bit better than some others.

We are heading to a group dinner at a Thai restaurant here on the island, so I have to go for now. Will try to post more this evening. Love, Lisa

Alexa's first flight.

2007-03-31T05:59:00.000-07:00

Hello guys. Well, Alexa was a trooper on her first flight. She drank a bottle during take off and was sleeping shortly thereafter in her daddy's arms. It was pretty cute. All of the babies in our group (9 of them ) did real well. We are now in our third and final city. YEH!! We will be here until Thursday morning. We don't have lots of paperwork to do here which will be nice. The only thing that really has to be done are some things to get Alexa's visa. Most of the paperwork was completed in Nanchang, the last city. I really pretty sad leaving Nanchang this afternoon. We have shared soooo much in that city with both of our girls coming from there. Not that this will suprise anyone, but I did shed some tears. We are just thankful to have two wonderful bundles of joy from the same place.

Well, we are pretty tired today after traveling, so I think I am going to call it a night. We miss everyone. Love, Bob, Lisa, and Alexa

Last night in Nanchang.

2007-03-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

Well, this is officially our last night in Nanchang. Tomorrow we will be taking Alexa away from everything that she has ever known. It makes me kind of sad to leave, but she will have a great life back home in the states. We will also be leaving our guide James who was the same guy we had here in Nanchang when we got Aleia. He is so wonderful. He has played such a big part of our getting everything official with Alexa and Aleia and has shared such a wonderful experience with us. I will be sad to see him go. We asked him if he could go to Guangzhou with us. No luck. ha, ha.

We went to the police station today to get the girls passports. What fun!!! She can come to the US now. Whew. After that we shopping for porcelain. This province, Jiangxi, is famous for it so we went and got some souvenirs to take home.

This will be our last post here in this city. We fly out to Guangzhou tomorrow (sat) at 2:00 pm (which is 2:00am for you). This city is very americanized with tons of americans with asian girls. Yes you all at Ferris Chevy, they are going to take over the US. ha,ha. We take an oath there on Tuesday about bringing the girls back to the states and promising never to hurt or abandon them. Then we fly home on Thursday morning here which is Wednesday night at home. We miss you all so much. Thanks for making comments on the blog. We love to read them. Love, Lisa, Bob, and Alexa

P.S. the car that I am posting is some kind of a Chevy. Maybe an Aveo?!?

2007-03-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

We are very tired this evening and I don't really have much to tell you since I posted this afternoon. We went to dinner this evening to a place where we have already eaten. It has very good Chinese food. Did you guys ever think you would hear me say that?

We go in the morning to the Notary office to pick up the passports for the girls. Another step done!! We are slowly but shirley getting there. Next week at this time we will be home. We really are missing Aleia at this point of the trip. We have been talking to her about everyday which has been so nice. We don't get a whole lot out of her, but atleast we get to hear her voice. That helps Bob and I to get through the day.

Everyone here is sleeping, so I think I am heading to bed too. Love ya, Lisa

A tour of the countryside.

2007-03-29T00:14:00.000-07:00

Our group did some touring of the farming countryside today. Talk about depressing!!! It sure is amazing how some people live. Our bus trip there took us about twenty minutes and boy did we see all sorts of things. We saw big hunks of meat hanging from some string, ladies washing their clothes in a dirty pond, and some outhouses made of brick. I don't know if baby Jack could have stood up in them. Very, very stinky. Whew!!! The natives in the countryside just stared at us. Some of the ladies would bring their babies from indoors to see us. They were dressed in so many layers. We were all roasting in our shorts and tshirts.

Alexa is still a doll. She continues to amaze us everyday with something new. I really believe she is getting stronger each day too. She is so tiny and petite. She continues to chatter and is starting to smile. She loves the outdoors just like her big sister, so I can see us spending many days at Tuscora Park.

Well, that is all for now. We are going to dinner with our Phila crew. I'm sure we will have some stories after that. Love, Lisa, Bob, and Alexa

More photos

2007-03-28T06:06:00.000-07:00

Nanchang Day #4

2007-03-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

Hi guys. We had another fun-filled day of touring in Nanchang. We went to the TengWang Pavilion which is a major sight seeing place here in the city. It is a really beautiful place with lots of bright colors inside. There were also some souvenirs inside for sale. We bought a couple of little things for the girls, because we also visited this place when we were here with Aleia. We also went to the "new city" of Nanchang. They are building it up on the other side of the river. There wasn't really anything there when we were here in 2004. It is amazing how many new big places there are over there.

This evening we went downtown with the Mcconnell's to a department store and to eat at KFC. We took a taxi ride to get there. WOW!!! That is all I can say. You haven't been in a taxi until you have taken a ride in one here. I have never seen my life blink in front of my eyes so many times. It is definitely a crazy place to get around. We bought some shoes. Surprise, suprise. Papaw will be proud.

Alexa had another great day. She is really beginning to chatter"mama" on a regular basis. Daddy doesn't like it real well, so he keeps trying to get her to say "baba" (dad in chinese) Someone asked in an email about how much we thought she weighed. My guess would be about fifteen pounds. She's very tiny and real delicate. Very quiet when she cries. She really looks around for Bob and I now. It is absolutely so amazing that you can love someone as much as we do in such a short time. We are headed to bed now. We are taking a tour to the countryside in the morning and then having lunch at McDonalds. Love to all, Bob, Lisa, and Alexa

Touring in Nanchang

2007-03-27T05:38:00.000-07:00

We had another good day in Nanchang. This day was a turning point for Alexa I believe. She really started to open up and smile. Her motor skills seemed so much better this afternoon and evening. It is almost like she didn't know that she could do some of the things she was doing. She still struggles to totally sit up on her own, but it is getter better. This last picture tonight is one of my new favorites of her. Don't you love that smile? We visited August 1st Park this afternoon with our group. It was very pretty and well groomed. We didn't go to this park the last time we were here. We are doing a city tour in the morning with a group lunch to follow. We sure hope everyone is doing well. Please keep sending us those comments. We love them. Love, Bob, Lisa, and Alexa

2007-03-26T23:41:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone from China. Our New Phila crew ventured out of the hotel this afternoon for a little walk. Oh boy, did we see some sights. We needless to say also attracted lots of attention. The natives are very curious about the girls. Some of them smile at you and give you a thumbs up, while others just kind of glare. Some of the locals also come up and touch the girls. It is very interesting how they stare at them. Kari and Erich's little guy Jack is quite the attention grabber here too with the locals. They don't see many blond hair, blue eye little guys. We are going to a park later on today with our entire group, so I will try to post more photos again later. Love, Lisa

Adoption is final per China.

2007-03-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

We had another busy day today with lots of paper work being completed. We went to the Adoption Registration Office again for filing the adoption, an interview, and some photos to be taken. We then headed off to the Notary office for some things too. After what we actually did today per China, Miss Alexa is officially ours. WHEW!! It's been a long haul, but we made it. This afternoon we went to Walmart shopping. Yes, you read this correctly, they do have Walmart here in China. However, it is very different than ours. It is two floors and about four times as many people. You all thought we had it rough at ours. ha, ha. Our guide then took us out for a group dinner to a place we had eaten at in 2004. Still very good and real cheap. I don't know if you all know this or not, but we have the same guide here in Nanchang that we had in 04 when we adopted Aleia. His name is James and he is wonderful. Darren and Suzanne, he said to tell you hello. He has to be the best around. He is so concerned about the girls and the families needs. Hope you enjoy the photos. Love, Lisa, Bob, and Alexa

2007-03-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

A Family of Four!!!

2007-03-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

Well, we are having difficulty posting pictures at this point. We received Alexa this afternoon at the Civil Affairs Office here in Nanchang. She didn't really even cry when they handed her over to us. She is beautiful. She has some curls around her ears. She is real tiny. She is really checking us out. She seemed to be very clean too. She was actually wearing one of the outfits that we sent her. It seems as if she hasn't had the stimulation that Aleia had. We did get her to eat alittle something and take a little bit of a bottle this evening before she fell fast asleep. The girls in the group seem to be about the same. Hopefully with a couple of days of some TLC they will bounce back quickly. We will post more soon. Love, Bob, Lisa and Alexa

2007-03-25T05:56:00.001-07:00

jjj

Some after dinner pics.

2007-03-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful dinner at the steak house. We then went down by the harbour and did some looking around. We got to see some of the locals dancing and singing. Some of the local children did an interview with us for a school project. We had them doing the O H I O. This is for you Kyle Miller. I have attached a photo of this. The area we were in was called the Avenue of the Stars. Darren and Suzanne, this area is much nicer than the last time we were here. Very pretty. Remember all of the construction along the walkway? Lisa

Our first day in Hong Kong.

2007-03-24T00:25:00.000-07:00

Hello. We just finished touring with our group this afternoon. We went to Victoria Peak which is the highest point in Hong Kong. It was extremely foggy, so we didn't get many good photos over looking the city. We then went on a Sanpan boat ride in the Aberdeen fishing village. We got to see where and how some people live on the water. Definitely not something we would do well with in New Phila. After that, our guide took us to a jewelry factory and then to do some shopping. The shopping was somewhat like a flea market. Believe it or not, I did not buy a thing. Surprise, surprise. We are going to dinner tonight at Ruth Chris steak house. We want to get filled up before we head to Nanchang tomorrow. (hopefully we won't starve in Nanchang like we did the first time around). We fly out tomorrow morning for Nanchang and that is where we receive the girls!! Everyone in our group is very friendly and is extremely excited for "gotcha day." When we post the next time, we will be a family of four. We sure cannot wait to get baby Alexa in our arms. When we talked with Aleia this morning she said, "mom do you have baby Alexa yet?" I thought it was sooooo sweet. We are having a good time and everyone is feeling really good at this point. Love, Lisa and Bob

Hong Kong at last.

2007-03-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Just wanted to let you know that we finally made it to China. We left New Phila Thursday morning at 6:00am and got to China Saturday morning at 1:00am. It was quite the experience. Our flight out of Cleveland was delayed because of our flight coming from Chicago. We left Cleveland one and a half hour late which put us in Chicago at 12:15 pm. Our flight from Chicago to Hong Kong was supposed to leave at 12:18pm. Well, you can probably bet that we did miss our flight. They had just closed the door right after we had ran right up to the gate. Needless to say we had real high anxiety. United Airlines got us on another flight leaving about two hours later, however it was heading to Tokyo, Japan. We took that twelve hour flight and then waited in Tokyo for about two hours before getting on another plane for a four hour flight to Hong Kong. Well, twenty eight hours later of airports and airplanes we made it. Our luggage was even here when we arrived. Yeah. We are touring today with our group, so we may try to post again later. We miss everyone. Love ya, Bob and Lisa

Ready to go!!!

2007-03-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we are all packed and ready to go. We leave bright and early tomorrow at 6:00 am. We will post as soon as we get to China. When you wake up on Friday morning, we should be there. Keep us in your prayers. Love to all, Lisa

We have flights!!!

2007-03-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

We officially have our travel dates confirmed and booked. YEH!!! We will be leaving the states via Cleveland on Thursday March 22nd. We will go to Chicago to get on the jumbo plan direct into Hong Kong. We will arrive back in the states on April 5th in the evening as a family of four. We are so excited about this journey.

For those of you who don't know, we are sharing this wonderful experience with two sets of very good friends from here in Dover and New Phila. We are going over as a group and coming home as a "bigger group". You can see their blogs by clicking on the right hand side of ours. It says Kaitlin and Annie/Jack.

I will probably post one more time before we go. Hope you all follow along and make comments on the blog during our journey. Love to all, Lisa

Alexa's updated info

2007-02-27T20:03:00.000-08:00

We received our updated info this evening on Alexa. She is currently living in the orphanage and has been for six months now. She is 69 cm in height and 7.8kg in weight. She does sleep in her crib by herself too. YEh!!! It also says she is currently sitting up, standing, but now walking yet. She also has four teeth. We are hoping for our travel approval anyday now, so our agency can secure a consulate appointment for us. Then we are off to get her. WHEW!!!

Chinese New Year!!!

2007-02-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

Aleia and some of her buddies celebrated the Chinese New Year holiday this evening at the Empire Chinese Buffet at the mall. We had a nice dinner, they sang some songs, had a chinese dragon dance, and played non-stop. It was a good time had by all.

The Ohio Snowstorm

2007-02-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

We had lots of snow this past week as you can see. Miss Aleia and I shoveled the driveway and then had some fun playing. We even made snow angels. Ha, ha!!! Lisa

She is finally here! YEH!!!

2007-02-03T18:43:00.000-08:00

Well, here is the newest addition to the Alsept family. Miss Alexa Lin Alsept was born on 4/28/06. She is currently living in the Jingdezhen City Social Welfare Institute in the Jiangxi Province. This is the same province as her big sister Aleia. She is supposed to be a deep sleeper, loves bright colored, noisy toys, and is able to suck her fingers. They told us our travel should be within 5-8 weeks. Not soon enough. Love, Bob, Lisa, Aleia, and Alexa

the STORK is flying!!!

2007-01-30T18:55:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. Just wanted to let you know that the referrals from China are supposedly on their way. We are hoping to find out all of the things about our "China doll" by Friday or Saturday at the latest. We will keep you all posted and will let you know when we get the call!! We are so excited, especially Miss Aleia. She has talked about being a "big sister" for so long now. Thanks so much for being with us during this emotional, yet exciting time. Love, The Alsept's.

2007-01-16T18:39:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. We just wanted to let everyone know that our referral for "Baby Alexa
" will be here very shortly. The CCAA should be sending them over from China at the end of the month, so we are anticipating to see our daughter's face either right at the end of January or the very beginning of February. YEH!!!!!!! We will keep you posted. Love to all. The Alsept's

Santa made it to our house

2006-12-30T13:43:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!! We sure hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Aleia had a ball and received many gifts of course. She really loves the Dora castle that Santa brought her. Here are a couple of photos from the day.
We are patiently awaiting a word from China about our new little one. Referrals should be posting shortly, so we will know soon if we made it in this batch. If not, we know that we will be next. We should be in China by March hopefully. Love to all. The Alsept's

Thanksgiving

2006-11-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving with our cousins

2006-11-22T03:38:00.000-08:00

GO BUCKS!!! We sure do love those Buckeyes!!!!!!

2006-11-12T12:59:00.001-08:00

Hi all of our family and friends. Just wanted to show you a couple of photos from Aleia's third birthday party this past Wednesday. She had soooo much fun. She opened presents for a long time. You would have thought is was Christmas. Enjoy.

2006-11-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Aleia turned "3" this past Wednesday. We had a big party and a good time was had by all. Hope you enjoy the pics.

Halloween 2

2006-11-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

This is a second photo that I found from Halloween that I thought I would post!

Trick or treat!!

2006-11-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

Hi guys. We went to a Halloween party recently and we participated in trick or treat. Aleia had a wonderful time going door to door. It was real rainy, but a good time was had by all. Love to all. The Alsept's

THE PUMPKIN PATCH

2006-10-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

We took Aleia and some of her Asian pals to the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday. We all had such a great time. We went to Meemaw's house for lunch afterwards. We are taking some of the girls for their annual Asian photograph on Wednesday too, so that should be fun. We are slowly getting closer and closer to Baby Alexa and going back to China again. Yeh!!

2006-10-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the Chinese Moon Festival Party for Aleia and her pals. The three of us went to the party and had a great time. We ate lots of good food, including the traditional moon cakes, sang songs, had faces painted, played games, and had some group pictures taken. The kids all had a fun time.

2006-10-06T04:12:00.000-07:00

Hello all

2006-09-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. We are setting up this blog for our trip to China. Let me know if you can get this stuff. Love to all. Lisa